Chris' story
19 December 2024
Chris Miller’s relationship with his work goes beyond a job – there’s a strong cultural and family connection, too.
As a family support practitioner with ATSICHS Brisbane (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service), Chris was driven by wanting to help people through a challenging time in their lives.
Chris Miller: My name's Chris. I'm the manager at ATSICHS for the assets and fleet. Case managing is challenging to begin with.
The work that I was doing was working with families in the early stages of child safety issues. If you're dealing with a one family, for example, you've got mum and dad and then you've got kids. So they all need support.
So over time, you know, when you, you're carrying lots of families and wanting to help people through the most challenging time in their life and, but you know, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, it can be tiring.
If you don't learn how to, I guess, be self-aware of when those stresses start to kick in, it can sometimes sneak up on you. I thought I was pretty good at being able to identify those things and then, yeah, it just snuck up on me.
For me, being disconnected from my culture personally influenced my decision to want to work in, in this particular focus on First Nations people.
You know, I don't know where my family comes from. I don't know what country I'm from. So the next best thing for me to immerse myself in culture was to make it my job.
And I was like, well, I don't know what to do next but I don't wanna move away from this.
Janice Janecic: And I see my role as sitting and listening and like vent to me, tell me whatever. So when he sort of went, I'm having issues I went okay, no worries, that's fine. Do what you've gotta do.
You could hear it in his voice, you could hear he wasn't him. He wasn't cracking the jokes and whatever. And so I just sent an email down to Sharen and Belinda here at Jimbelunga and said, hey, you know, I've got this person. What do you need doing?
Chris Miller: And she goes, I have an idea. And when she was talking about the idea it was coming to Jimbelunga.
Sharen Suman: I got an email saying that they had this gentleman coming to Jimbelunga, would we consider having him on board just as a process for his return to work program with WorkCover. We are always happy to help out. So I'm like, well, I've got those skills and there's no case management for grass, so I'm pretty sure I can come and mow a lawn or two.
Janice Janecic: It's breaking down the tasks that are available and seeing if there's anything on site that they can do. And then if that's not possible, then okay, who else in the organisation needs a hand?
Chris Miller: I got to actually pause and not have to worry about child safety, not have to worry about this family. I just had to worry about whether or not the mower had fuel in it.
Tarana Hayat: Every time I'd speak to Chris, he would say, working makes me feel better. It helps my mental health.
Chris Miller: I went to a psychologist for a little time just to I guess balance those emotions and things. She would check in with me about that, see how that was going. And I'm like, yeah, it feels all right.
I was a bit nervous I guess from potentially taking on all that stress. Again, in my mind I'm like, well, I can still do the same work that I did, but I'm doing it from a different place.
Looking after the assets, making sure that the assets are all running the way that they should. That gave me a different sense of purpose, I guess. I'm here now, I enjoy it. I'm gonna team in my own. So instead of me having to, for want of a better word, carry the load, I've been able to support my team this time round and chose a different path.
And that was because of the support that I got, which for me was becoming the boss, but I needed the support to get there. If I didn't have that, yeah, I don't think I would've taken a hop and a step.
A family connection
Between his parents and other family members, Chris estimates there is 120 years of combined experience working in the same vocation.
“For me, being disconnected from my culture personally influenced my decision to want to work in this particular focus on First Nations people,” Chris said.
However, working with families in the early stages of child safety issues took a toll on his own wellbeing.
In mid-2023, Chris experienced a mental injury due to the nature of his work.
“I thought I was pretty good at being able to identify those things and then, they snuck up on me,” he said.
ATSICHS Brisbane Work Health and Safety Advisor, Janice Janecic noticed a change in her conversations with Chris.
“You could hear it in his voice… he wasn't him. He wasn't cracking the jokes and whatever,” Janice said.
Finding a good fit
Janice knew that Chris had many transferrable skills from his past work as a tradesman and in policing.
“It's breaking down the tasks that are available and seeing if there's anything on site that they can do. And then if that's not possible, then okay, who else in the organisation needs a hand?” Janice said.
Janice worked with Environmental Services Manager Sharen Suman and WorkCover case manager, Tarana Hayat, to help Chris get back doing suitable duties in garden maintenance at Jimbelunga Nursing Centre.
“From the very beginning I kind of knew that he was very purpose driven. He was always talking about return to work and you get that feeling that this person is motivated and genuine,” Tarana said.
Through WorkCover, Chris was also able to access treatment and support, like sessions with a psychologist.
“I got to actually pause and not have to worry about child safety,” Chris said.
‘A team of my own’
After working at Jimbelunga for several months, an opportunity came up for Chris to fill in as Asset Manager for all ATSICHS Brisbane sites.
Soon after, he was offered the role on a permanent basis.
Chris said the role has allowed him to stay connected to his strong sense of purpose in the work at ATSICHS Brisbane, in a different way.
For example, he now manages the fleet cars he used to drive out to visit families.
“In my mind I'm like, well, I can still do the same work that I did, but I'm doing it from a different place.”
“I've got a team of my own. Instead of me having to, for want of a better word, carry the load, I've been able to support my team this time round and chose a different path… but I needed the support to get there.”